BELLINGHAM - A man was arrested on suspicion of beating his live-in girlfriend with a metal baseball bat and pointing a gun at her in their Bellingham home early Thursday, Oct. 18.
James Louis Nickerson, 50, is accused of using a green metal bat to hit his 55-year-old girlfriend in the arms and legs at their house on Beal Street. He then pulled out a handgun and pointed it at her, said Bellingham Police spokesman Mark Young.
He wouldn't let her leave, according to police. She crawled out a bedroom window about 2 a.m., then escaped to a neighbor's house.
Police found Nickerson hiding in a field behind his home. He was arrested on investigation of assault in the first degree and unlawful imprisonment. Young said Nickerson was drunk at the time.
Officers impounded the bat. Reports filed by police Thursday afternoon didn't say if they had found a gun.
The woman had been in a relationship with Nickerson for about three years. Her injuries were serious, but Young wasn't sure if she was taken to a hospital.
Less than a week ago, Nickerson posted $50,000 bond after he was jailed on charges of dealing meth and heroin.
Nickerson was convicted of a felony in 2009 for trying to steal a Volkswagen Jetta from a hotel parking lot. If police can prove he had a gun, he could face charges of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Reach CALEB HUTTON at caleb.hutton@bellinghamherald.com or call 360-715-2276.
